Memories of Grandma

Jim's Grandma passed away last Friday night.  She was his last remaining grandparent, and we will miss her so much.  Even though we only got to spend time with her once a year, we loved visiting her, and Jim has many wonderful memories of time spent with her and Papa when he was growing up.  I wanted to take this post to share a few of my own memories that come to mind when I think of Grandma.

First of all, she was a fun, feisty lady.  There was always plenty of laughter when we would visit her.  She delighted in her family and loved to spend time with all of her great-grandchildren.  She also loved to spoil them (as well as her grandsons and granddaughters-in-law!).  She was so generous, always wanting to buy stuff for our families, giving money and presents (and bags of candy!) at Christmastime and birthdays . . . she had such a giving heart (as did Papa) and truly enjoyed touching others' lives in that way.  

The other big thing that always comes to mind when I think of Grandma is food.  Every time we visited her, there was food involved!  Whether it was a big dinner she cooked for us at their home, or pizza from a place down the road, or taking us all (a big extended family!) out to a buffet, she loved to feed everyone and make sure we all got filled up.  She and Papa grew a big garden for years, and I was amazed when I ate homegrown lima beans for the first time--they were so GOOD!  (I've always hated lima beans with a passion, but apparently that was because I'd never had good ones!)

After Papa died, Grandma sold their home and moved into a little apartment.  Family gatherings weren't quite the same after that, but it was always a pleasure to spend an afternoon and evening with her during our yearly trips.  We'll miss that time, and more than that, we will miss her.  I find myself wishing we'd made one last phone call, or sent one last letter (even though we wouldn't have known it would be the last), or told her we loved her one more time.  She will always hold a very special place in our hearts.